♔ un || christmas eve

[ensorceler]

[ Written most elegantly; ]

My Dearest and Most Beloved Elizabeth,

I bring you the most blessed of tidings. Can you guess? I will let you take a few moments to make use of your wit and figure it out while I continue on. (Come now, surely it would be obvious to you!)

Your father, the King, is doing quite well. He is of good cheer and fine health, God bless His Majesty. He asks after you, and I promised I would send word of his love and ever present concern for you, my sweet rose.

And speaking of such, while we were in the gardens just recently, I discovered the most beautiful of roses. Though the King insisted I not touch it for the thorns it bore, I daresay I had it cut anyhow! And wouldn't you know, the thorns harmed me not. It reminded me of you, and so I had it pressed as I read of once in a book. It is my sincerest wish that you look upon it and know of my eternal love and devotion to you.

Oh, I cannot keep silent on the matter any longer! Have you guessed yet? No? Well then, I will tell you, but only because such tidings should be shared. You will soon have a little—

[ The writing is drawn to a sudden halt, interrupted by the sound of a woman's soft sigh, and then the clattering of odds and ends being dragged off the table by said woman as she slides to the frozen floor with a thump. ]

[ ooc; Any journal comments will be responded to after Anne's been awoken by Elizabeth and had the 411 dished out! ]

Comments

[theabjectauthor]

[enter.







right.


he spends a moment glancing down at the tray in his hands, then quietly mumbles a wish that he had someone there to open the door for him. a penguin slides by and jumps up long enough to catch the doorknob on its way by, then goes skating off. great. now he has Julius Fucik stuck in his head. he pushes it to the back of his mind and nudges his way through the just-barely-open door, smiling and giving her a respectful nod.

one can't exactly bow with a tea tray, after all] Your Highness.

[ensorceler]

[ She's a little surprised to find a tray of tea with him, (even more to see him lugging the blankets like a pack mule) but it's a pleasant sort of surprise. Motioning towards the nearby table for him to set the tea down, Anne nods in return.

A funny-seeming man, with a funny-sounding name. But also the first to offer her service in person, outside of her own daughter, and she respects that enough to give him quarter. He seems pleasant enough, but then they all seem pleasant when facing a queen, don't they? ]

I have never heard of your family. Snicket, is it?

[theabjectauthor]

Yes, of the Boston Snickets, though we drifted west to New York after a time. [he sets the tea down, and begins unpacking the blankets for her] I am afraid that I hail from a time far ahead of your own, and as such, I offer my apologies in advance for anything I say that might confuse you.

[ensorceler]

[ But everything he just said confused her.

Seriously, she's trying not to give him a blank look, but it's inevitable. How is she dreaming up this bull? ]

...That is why you are here, yes? To inform me so that I am not confused. Heaven forbid I must lay every quandary at my esteemed daughter's doorstep.

[theabjectauthor]

That was why I came, yes, but I'm afraid that most of what I have to tell you will sound unfortunately preposterous... I assure you, despite how it would sound, it is true to the best of my knowledge, as I have found no evidence to the contrary.

We have all been brought to this place by an anonymous force beyond our control, which has all but been confirmed to be the very castle itself, Paradisa.

[ensorceler]

Yes, this much my daughter has informed me of.

[ Anne finally sits, though perched on the edge because it's cold yes. She doesn't seem too put off by this notion (dream dream dream!), and only curious to know more. ]

Might I ask how this was confirmed, though? How a building itself can boast sentience?

[theabjectauthor]

Several documents were found, prior to my arrival. A reliable acquaintance of mine, Professor Raine Sage, has all of the details. But the gist of it is, there is a book with records of other castles that were formed by earlier residents who deserted this one. Castles with similar inclinations. Unfortunately, there wasn't very much detail given about how their sentience is actually possible.

[ensorceler]

And how are we to know that these documents weren't merely the creation of residents overrun by their own superstition?

[theabjectauthor]

They were quite old ... even if they were residential falsifications, Your Highness, they were falsified a very long time ago.

[ensorceler]

[ Well that means very little to her. Lots of stuff the Vatican would say happened a long time ago, too, but she's not crass enough to blurt that out right now. ]

If you say as much, I have little choice but to lay my trust at your feet. But then I must ask what the very nature of Paradisa is. For, in truth, mine own daughter walks the halls nearly twenty years my senior. How is this not amiss?

[theabjectauthor]

Strange things are done with time, here ... I myself am the ward of a young girl whose last memory of home is from at least two years in my own future.

[ensorceler]

Then how can they truly be called memories, and not lunacy?

[theabjectauthor]

When something that seems insane becomes the status quo, so to speak, is it still truly insanity?

[ensorceler]

I am not insane.

[ What does she care what everyone else calls themselves, if she thinks they're insane? That's Royal logic, for you.

Anne will finally nod to the tray he brought in. ]

What, pray tell, did you bring me along with your blankets?

[theabjectauthor]

High tea, actually, with watercress sandwiches and Lady Grey. I was not sure when you had last eaten before arriving, and thought it an appropriate welcome gift.

[ensorceler]

Tea?

[ Might be hard to tell if she looks offended or just confused. She waves a hand to beckon the tray closer, so that she might look in the actual tea pot. ]

I had expected some wine, or even cider. I require no medicine, especially not one that steams.

[theabjectauthor]

Oh, it's not meant to be medicinal...

[he brings the tray and sets it down for her perusal] But if it is wine you would prefer, it would be quite easy to procure some.

[ensorceler]

[ She's just so confused. Nobody drinks tea in her time, okay! ]

No, if I am in a castle of magic, I will sample the local beverage.

[ But she'll wait to watch him drink before she tries it herself, because...paranoid forever, even in dreams sometimes. ]

For how long have you resided?

[theabjectauthor]

Only a few short months, now - there are those who have been here for years. [he fixes his own cup with lemon, disregarding the sugar bowl entirely, and hesitates to make sure she's waiting for him, before sipping]

[ensorceler]

Yes, I had heard as much from my daughter...

[ She still can't help but take a wary sniff of her tea, but then again she wouldn't know what scent to watch for. This is unfamiliar. It smells good, though... So she takes a drink when he does, and her smile is one of pleasant surprise. ]

How interesting. It warms the belly. Very mild...

[theabjectauthor]

Yes, and different things can be added, according to one's taste. Some add milk and sugar, or a combination of the two, and there are several different flavors made from different combinations of herbs ...

But you did not ask me here to question me about tea, certainly.

[ensorceler]

[ Her smile is small, but genuine as she observes this man. Plump, friendly, but not dim-witted it would seem. She could make use of such a type... ]

No, you are correct. However it is difficult for me to even know where I ought start my questioning, when I know nothing at all, and have trouble believing what I have already heard.

Perhaps I should ask you what religion governs these people.

[theabjectauthor]

That is a very good question, though I am afraid you may not care for the answer. There are several different religions represented, here, and no government to speak of, save that of the individual conscience.

[ensorceler]

That does not bode well... I find myself surprised this castle is still in one piece.

[theabjectauthor]

It seems that things either tend to have a way of righting themselves, or that when wrong is done, there are always people who rise up to assist and turn it right.

One could even say that those who put out the fires seem more plentiful than those who would start them. [he looks particularly happy about this, in a quiet sort of way, like a man with a pleasant secret]